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Let me start off by saying Zeds Dead is an awesome dubstep group (check out Phil’s post here for examples of what they’ve created in the past). With their latest EP, “Adrenaline,” they’re sticking with dubstep, but they explore other genres in their music as well. Considering they’ve put some really sweet experimental tracks on this EP, I think Zeds Dead is certainly one of my favorite dubstep artists. In addition to being a prefect example of Zeds Dead’s experiments with other genres, Adrenaline EP is fucking dope. I’d also like to warn you; this EP isn’t necessarily for brostep lovers. Zeds Dead makes sure that if you want to enjoy the EP you have to understand that dubstep is not all about the drop. Dubstep is a genre that can be molded to one’s taste, and Zeds Dead is sure they don’t want to make the heaviest, dirtiest, filthiest, or grimiest drops of all the time. They put a lot of work into the entire track instead of just the drop. Having said that, remember: Zeds Dead does use a lot of great sounding bass and their drops are still awesome.
In the Beginning is like a journey. Not only do they start their shows with this song (hence, “Beginning”), but they made this song to represent a voyage, complete with suspense (0:48-1:00), breaks (1:08-1:15), and the introduction of new material (1:56). In The Beginning is a great song for the beginnings of shows, especially because listening to the entire journey is pretty amazing.
Adrenaline is quite the banger. The constant rising synth always makes it pretty fucking awesome because it makes the listener anxious. The latin beat at 1:39 makes the second drop even heavier and the overall song so much better. Props to Zeds Dead for adding that beat to Adrenaline! Also, even though vocal samples before the drop are pretty common and an overused concept in dubstep, the vocal sample used in Adrenaline sounds cool. It isn’t a catchy phrase because it’s too long, but what’s important is it just sounds cool which means success in my eyes. Zeds Dead don’t need to become popular with just one little phrase (coughSkrillexcough), they’ve been getting popular because they make great music. Adrenaline is a great example of their talent.
The snycopations in Hit Me and the vocal-like samples that start at 0:12 make for a pretty exotic dubstep track. It may not be my favorite track on the EP, but the exotic (and even slightly sensual) sounds that Zeds Dead created for this track certainly captures my attention. For example, the ending starting from 3:02 is simply gorgeous and captivating. Hit Me is awesome because it can be used both as a great break song in an exciting set, as well as a somewhat intense track for chiller sets.
Oh No is a fairly simple and straightforward track. It might have barely enough material throughout the entire song to keep it interesting, but it is a cool track. The vocal samples “oh no” and “blah” are sick, and maybe I’m just biased because I’ve seen what it can do live if it’s played right after Zeds Dead’s VIP remix of Eyes on Fire, but I really like this track.
Overall, I think Zeds Dead did a good job releasing an EP instead of the constant remixes and singles they’ve been dropping. I love everything they’ve released, but it’s nice seeing them drop four originals in Adrenaline EP to change the pace a little. The EP has a few beats from other genres in the shadows, could this mean Zeds Dead is subtly hinting that they’ll go on to make dubstep with awesome beats (from other genres) in the background? I don’t know, but if they do in the future, I know Zeds Dead will succeed!
If you have a chance of seeing Zeds Dead’s awesome production translate into a live show, I strongly suggest going. A few Metrojolt writers and I have seen Zeds Dead in concert, and we all agree: Zeds Dead is killer live.
Support Zeds Dead and buy their Adrenaline EP on Beatport or iTunes!
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